Dress watches or “black tie” hour… the choice is yours!
Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Chopard, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin - the big names in watchmaking came together on the chanel of Frank Sans C for an exceptional evening wear show. Exceptional is an understatement when it comes to discovering the seven wonders to be worn under the cuff of a white shirt. Iconic, elegant and sublime, fine, evening or dress watches are part of the panoply of elegant men...
LOUIS VUITTON, Escale
First “escale”: the new Louis Vuitton timepieces. The smallest details, which are nothing to sneeze at when it comes to this level of watchmaking excellence, can be found in the following article: « Newt stop, Louis Vuitton ».
W3PG11 – 39 mm – pink gold – silver dial – camel calf leather strap – €29,000
W3PG21 – 39 mm – pink gold – blue dial – blue calf leather strap – €29,000
W3PT11 – 39 mm – platinum – meteorite dial – €39,000
PATEK PHILIPPE, Golden Ellipse 5738R
Somewhere between a square and a rectangle, the elliptical case of Patek Philippe’s Golden Ellipse blurs the lines by playing with geometric shapes.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, it is one of the Manufacture’s iconic collections. Inspired by the golden ratio, its strong design made its mark in the 1970s and 1980s, with numerous variations in dial colours, straps and materials. To mark its half-century of existence, the brand has unveiled a model in pink gold with a black onyx dial with a sunburst effect, distinguished by its intense depth. It is also contrasted by applied baton hour-markers and fine pink gold ‘hair’ hands that add elegance and sophistication to the overall effect.
To complete the evening attire, the watch is served on a shiny black, hand-stitched, square-scaled alligator strap fitted with a rose gold pin buckle. Illustrating Patek Philippe’s remarkable watchmaking expertise, this edition beats to the rhythm of an extra-flat self-winding mechanical movement. Certified Poinçon de Genève, it is equipped with a 22-carat gold micro-rotor and offers approximately 48 hours of power reserve.
€36,600
See technical details of the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse référence 5738R.
CHOPARD, L.U.C XPS 1860 Black Tie
‘Black Tie’ is the perfect word to describe this L.U.C XPS 1860 edition, limited to just 20 pieces. 20 pieces to celebrate the 20-year link between Chopard and one of the most emblematic events in French cinema: the Cannes Film Festival. The 40 mm platinum case houses an intense black gold dial enhanced by a hand-crafted central guilloché pattern. Punctuated by a small seconds at 6 o’clock, the radiant dial is haloed by a sunray satin-finish rim.
To complete the decoration, it features baguette-cut diamond hour-markers and elegant rhodium-plated dauphine hands. Sober yet wildly elegant, the watch is served on a matt black alligator strap fitted with a platinum pin buckle. Certified Chronometer by the COSC and stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva, the extra-thin (6 mm) automatic calibre has a power reserve of around 65 hours and a gold micro-rotor. Visible through a transparent caseback adorned with the Cannes Film Festival palm, it features remarkable decorations: anglage, circular graining and Côtes de Genève.
€57,800
CARTIER, Santos-Dumont
The Santos-Dumont, as its name suggests, is inspired by the elegance of Alberto Santos-Dumont, a loyal friend of Louis Cartier who asked him to create a wristwatch that would be easy to handle at the command of his plane.
Today, it is unveiled in three limited editions in original colours, such as this version in yellow gold and taupe grey. A watch par excellence in form, it has a square case fitted with a grey lacquered bezel, embellished with a yellow gold hoop and eight characteristic visible screws. Combined with a semi-matt alligator leather strap, the dial features a grey shade with a sunray effect that plays with the slightest reflections of light. With its railway track minute track and sapphire-set crown, it features almost all the Cartier aesthetic codes, with the exception of the sword-shaped blued steel hands – here coated in yellow gold – and the eternal Roman numerals and secret signature, replaced here by gilded Arabic numerals. Water-resistant to 30 metres, this timepiece beats to the rhythm of a beautifully crafted hand-wound mechanical movement.
€11,760
Consult the Cartier Santos-Dumont technical data sheet.
PIAGET, Altiplano Origin
It’s impossible to talk about dress watches without mentioning Piaget’s Altiplano model. Taking its name from the high plateau of South America in the heart of the Andes Cordillera, one of Piaget’s iconic collections is distinguished by the purity of its lines.
This 40 mm-diameter white gold version is no exception, with its refined silver dial punctuated by slender baton-shaped hands and hour-markers. Signed ‘Altiplano’ at 8 o’clock, it also features an original date at 9 o’clock and a small seconds at 4 o’clock.
An expert in the world of finesse, Piaget has equipped this beautiful edition with an extra-thin automatic movement (3 mm thick). Visible through a sapphire crystal caseback, the calibre’s smallest gears are magnificently decorated, a sign of the Manufacture’s watchmaking expertise. This elegant timepiece comes on a navy blue alligator strap.
€28,200
Consult the Piaget Altiplano Origin technical data sheet.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN, Patrimony
Unveiled in 2004, the Patrimony collection from Vacheron Constantin is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. A definition of watchmaking classicism, it is inspired by the minimalist watches produced by the Manufacture in the 1950s.
A case in point is this 40 mm variation in pink gold, just 6.80 mm thick. Matching the alligator leather strap, the sunray-satinned midnight-blue dial features extremely fine hour-markers and slightly curved pink gold baton hands that follow its curves. With a power reserve of around 38 hours, the manual movement is certified Poinçon de Genève, a guarantee of quality and reliability. We would have liked to see such mechanical beauty through a transparent glass, but the solid caseback can be engraved and thus personalised.
€24,100
Consult the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manuel technical date sheet.
AUDEMARS PIGUET, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Automatique
Five years ago, the arrival of the new Code 11.59 collection from Audemars Piguet sparked off some divergent opinions in the watchmaking world. Some predicted that its future would be short-lived, while others believed that this design was as powerful as the Royal Oak. The latter have had their say, as numerous variations have been created.
This year, the line has been extended to include models in pink gold, like this 41 mm edition. Coordinated with a dark blue textured rubber strap fitted with a rose gold pin buckle, this model features a ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ dial. It is enhanced by an embossed motif handcrafted by guilloché craftsman Yann von Kaenel. Meticulously crafted, this decoration is composed of concentric circles like waves resulting from ricochets on water.
To accentuate the play of light, a multitude of cavities adorn this striking relief. A relief also revealed by the colouring obtained through a galvanic process. The whole is punctuated by a date window at 3 o’clock, pink gold hands and luminescent applied hour-markers. An aesthetic marvel, the watch is equally so from a mechanical point of view.
Guaranteeing a comfortable power reserve of around 70 hours, the self-winding calibre is equipped with a 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight, visible through a sapphire back. The sapphire caseback offers an unobstructed view of the movement’s decoration: bevelling, polishing, vertical satin-finishing, circular graining, chamfering and Côtes de Genève.
€35,300
Consult the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Automatique technical date sheet.
See also :
Read also: